DVDs Read or Write confusion

I've gotten into some VCD recording of some downloaded Divx 5.0 stuff.
I realize that I really want a DVD reader and or writer for my PC.
It appears that most of the recommendations are with Pioneer because of compatability and price issues, but I have some questions:

1. If I get a reader only, are there any other recommendations except for the Pioneer 103 or 104. Isn't that model slow at reading CD-R or CD-RWs ?

2. On the DVD writers, that really seems confusing. Ir appears that the the new Pioneer A04 seems to be the choice.
It appears by the speeds, that it woild take an awful long time to burn, at both the DVD and the CD level. Any other recommendations.

I'm leaning on getting a DVD reader until things kind of shake out a little more with the DVD writersn the cost of the media, standards, speed, etc.

Virtually all Pioneer DVD-ROM drives are pretty good, I have 116 or something like that on my own machine and it works like a charm. Just take a look at various firmware pages that you buy a drive that has RPC1 (region free) firmware patch available.

And as for writers, I agree with you -- DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, Blu-Ray, etc... At the moment its a mess. But if you do buy a DVD writer now, I would say Pioneer A04 or A03 sound both good.